ASU's Burfict living up to hype

by Jeff Metcalfe - Sept. 17, 2009 02:59 PMThe Arizona Republic

The Vontaze Burfict buzz is big.

Bigger than ever for an Arizona State true freshman football player, and not just because the linebacker from Corona, Calif., is the school's first national top-10 overall recruit (No. 9 Rivals). Already, through preseason camp and one game, Burfict moved beyond the hype into the kind of production that causes jaws to drop and leaves announcers breathless.

"Are we excited about this kid playing defense for the Sun Devils or are we excited?" television analyst Juan Roque wondered after Burfict's team-high fifth tackle - to go with a sack and fumble recovery - in his debut on Sept. 5. "You cannot see him enough," responded play-by-play man Tom Leander.

The Burfict buzz is bigger than what was seen for safety David Fulcher in 1983. It is bigger than for defensive end Terrell Suggs and tight end Zach Miller, Pac-10 Freshman of the Year winners in 2000 and '04.

It is so big that Burfict's NCAA eligibility resolution two weeks ago could become a defining moment in the Dennis Erickson coaching era at ASU.

"That was some good news in my life," said Burfict, a classic understatement about a potentially life-changing decision.

Academic climb

Burfict's public switch from a commitment to Southern California to ASU on letter of intent signing day (Feb. 4) was "when the work actually started," according to ASU's recruiting coordinator, Matt Lubick, to make sure he would not end up at a junior college.

"That's when the (eligibility) plan was laid out: This is what you've got to do and it's not going to be easy," Lubick said. "A lot of guys wouldn't have followed through on all the stuff he had to do. He kept on having people stand in his way and say, no, this isn't going to work, but he persevered. It was impressive to watch from my end."

For all the doubters, Burfict had some influential people in his corner: his mother, his brother, his high school coach, counselors at Corona Centennial High School and academic advisors at ASU.

The support group included Tia Magee, mother of Burfict's high school and now ASU teammate Brandon Magee. She opened her home to 17 friends of her two sons, who lived in her house for anywhere from a few weeks to a few years. She chronicles that story at her web site: www.morethan3.com.

"They stayed, got some wisdom and moved back home," said Tia, who now lives in Arizona. "They all came from single-parent households except one. We encouraged them to stay at one house. When one would come say, 'Miss Tia I want to be a part of this and get my grades up,' we'd have to talk first about this being serious and not playing around. They only got one chance to mess up."

She remembers that conversation with Burfict, who was ineligible almost his entire sophomore season at Centennial in 2006.

"I looked him straight in the eyes," something that isn't easy for Burfict, she said, "and asked him what do you want in your future? He said, low under his breath, 'I want to be a professional football player.' " Twice, she told him to speak up until an angry Burfict yelled the words then asked, "How do I get there? What I'm doing isn't working."

The road to making up 1½ years of work was daunting: night classes, summer school, independent courses. That's why it took time for the NCAA Eligibility Center to verify that no corners were cut and that Burfict, a 3.0 grade-point student from his junior year on, was truly eligible based on a sliding scale of grades in core classes and entrance exam score.

ASU preseason practice began Aug. 6 with Burfict not learning his fate until four weeks later, the day before a season opener that he was expected to sit out like he had three previous practices.

"I was in bed watching TV while everybody was getting ready for (team) dinner," on Sept. 4, Burfict said. "I got the call, you're clear. I thought they were playing. I'm like, c'mon are you serious? While I'm packing my bags, I realize I'm really a Sun Devil now."

Electrifying player

Lisa Williams planned to make the five-hour drive from Corona to Tempe for the season opener whether her son was cleared or not.

When she learned Burfict would play, "I got down on my knees and thanked God," she said. "I was anticipating him getting cleared so he could show his potential athletically and academic-wise. I always feel what you're destined to do, nobody can stop. Everything you have to wait for is great for."

She arrived at Sun Devil Stadium two hours early wearing a Burfict jersey. Word began to spread of her identity. "People I didn't know were patting me on the shoulder and high-fiving me," she said. "It felt like my family already."

She naturally offers unconditional love to Burfict. For her new friends, there are strings attached. If Burfict truly is a young Ray Lewis, as some believe, the love for him will overflow unless you're on the receiving end of what he can dish out.

Like Idaho State quarterback Russel Hill, who was driven off his feet and back four yards when his running back was late sliding over to block Burfict, who went untouched for his first career sack. He also jumped back over the same running back to recover a fumble and drew an Idaho State holding penalty while flying downfield on kickoff coverage. He did his damage against the Bengals on just 15 plays from scrimmage.

"It's just playing football," said Burfict, always matter-of-fact about his impact plays. "I've got bigger plays to come. It was very surprising because I didn't get one rep at all in practice. It should be way better now."

He is second team at middle linebacker behind senior Gerald Munns for as long as Munns can hold onto the job. Eventually all three starting linebackers could be from Corona Centennnial: Burfict, Magee and Shelly Lyons.

"It makes me feel stupid we lost a game," said Centennial coach Matt Logan, whose teams went a combined 28-2 in 2007-08 and twice played in the California Division I title game, winning last year. "We should have never given up a point. Vontaze is an amazing athlete and so instinctive. That's what separates him."

Even as a high school freshman, when Burfict played quarterback on a one-loss team, he was compared to Byron Leftwich. He wears jersey No. 7 in honor of his brother Dashan Miller and also former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway and now has a near Mohawk haircut.

"You're going to see an electrifying player," said Miller, a senior wide receiver at Akron. "Expect some great things and some hard-nosed football from this guy. He's going to be good in school as well as on the field. He will get the job done and help Arizona State the best he can."